Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 110, 109: Test Driving the F.220 – It Should Be Called a Monster Plane
The Farmans left, but the banquet continued.

As the host of the banquet, Fang Wen finally began to engage in normal social interactions.

Led by consulate staff, he met with the guests one by one and greeted them politely.

Among these people were businessmen who wanted to establish business relations with the East and took the initiative to extend olive branches to Fang Wen.

For example, wine, restaurants, clothing, etc.

Fang Wen outwardly showed an expression of interest, but inwardly he was not optimistic about these businesses.

The situation is getting worse and worse, and any daily investment activity could result in total loss.

Around 9 p.m., the guests began to leave one after another.

In the end, only the consulate staff and the people Lin Shuiwang had invited to help remained.

Fang Wen returned after speaking with the consulate.

The banquet venue has been cleaned up, and various banquet props are piled up to one side.

Everyone was waiting in the kitchen, and they all stood up when they saw Fang Wen coming over.

Fang Wen clasped his hands in a respectful greeting: "Thank you all for your hard work. Lin Shuiwang will be in charge of settling the payment, and it can be settled now."

“We don’t want money,” someone said.

Others chimed in, "That's right, why should we get paid for contributing to the country?"

"One thing at a time, we really have to thank everyone for their help to get this done. By the way, everyone hasn't eaten yet, right? Let's find a place to get together."

Fang Wensheng had the idea of ​​making friends and expanding his social circle in the Chinese community in Paris.

His words were exactly what everyone was thinking.

Uncle Chen, who owns a restaurant, suggested, "Then let's go to my restaurant. It's on me for supper tonight. Mr. Fang, don't try to take this from me."

"Okay, let's finish here, and then..."

“Rue au Maire,” Uncle Chen said.

"Let's meet at Uncle Chen's restaurant on Rue au Maire."

Immediately, everyone got to work, loading the banquet props into the car, returning what needed to be returned, and discarding what needed to be discarded.

10: pm.

In Rue au Maire, 3rd arrondissement of Paris, a group of Chinese people dressed in various costumes gathered at a Chinese restaurant.

Uncle Chen personally cooked roast meat, roast fish, and several large plates of fried rice.

Everyone shared a table and sat in a circle, eating and chatting.

"Mr. Fang, how is the situation in China?"

"This is not good. The Japanese have crossed Shanhaiguan and are fighting the Nationalist army at the Great Wall."

The topic was disheartening from the very beginning.

Paul Lin sighed, “The world is going to be in chaos. There are problems in Europe too. The Weimar Republic had a massive demonstration of 100,000 people the day before yesterday, and they started fighting.”

"Who hit whom?" Lin Shuiwang asked.

"The newspapers said it was an anti-fascist march, but the SA tried to stop it, and a conflict broke out."

Fang Wen listened to Lin Baoluo's words, his mind racing.

The anti-fascist march may have been the last struggle against Nazism. The situation in the Weimar Republic was already sealed, and no one could stop Hitler from coming to power.

But now, the Weimar Republic must be in great chaos. Even if the Nazis were to take power, the internal management would be inadequate.

There might be an opportunity to profit from the chaos, such as acquiring a batch of German-made production lines.

He set his sights on the Weimar Republic as his next destination.

Pushing aside his thoughts, Fang Wen asked what he was most interested in at this stage.

Does anyone know the exchange rate between the French franc and the US dollar?

Someone immediately replied, "I know, one dollar is worth 19.6 francs."

Fang Wen took out paper and pen and did the calculation: 480 million francs was approximately 24.49 US dollars.

This is most of my personal wealth; isn't it too expensive?

It seems I'll have to wait until after the test drive to figure out how to negotiate the price.

Oh, and there's also the tung oil business. We currently have domestic supplies, but is it possible to sell it in Europe?

After the outbreak of war, the price of tung oil will continue to rise, and it is not only the United States that needs it.

He asked, "Does anyone know about the sales of tung oil in Europe?"

Everyone remained silent, but a short man raised his hand.

“I know that as early as the Qing Dynasty, there were already companies that specialized in transporting tung oil to Europe by sea. They set up warehouses in Shanghai and Guangzhou to receive the goods, loaded them onto ships, and transported them by sea and land through the Strait of Malacca and the Suez Canal, before landing in the Mediterranean and being shipped to shipyards throughout Europe.”

Fang Wen nodded. It seemed that the tung oil business could only end with Boeing. Going further would involve the interests of many people, and there was no need to go to such lengths.

He abandoned the idea of ​​competing with the tung oil sales network that had been operating in Europe for over a century.

1 month 7 day.

Just one night later, the people from the Farman Company found Fang Wen through the consulate.

Although they did not make a final decision, they agreed to Fang Wen's request to visit and test drive the vehicle.

"Can I go now?" Fang Wen asked. Time was tight in Europe, and he couldn't stay in one place for too long. Once the decision was made, he had to go to the next destination.

He spoke in English, and the person sent to receive him was also an English-speaking executive from Farman.

“Sure, but you’ll have to undergo our test flight training,” the Farmans representative replied.

"No problem, let's set off now."

Fang Wen changed into his freshly washed flight suit and got into a Farman Company car to head out.

The car drove out of Paris and arrived at the Farman aircraft manufacturing plant two hours later.

It's a rather remote place, but it's very spacious.

At the front of the manufacturing plant is a test runway built by the company itself. On one side of the runway is a hangar, and on the other side are many old-fashioned aircraft.

Those were all biplanes produced by Valmant, and they looked old and worn because of their age.

The car drove along the road next to the runway without stopping, all the way to the back of the manufacturing plant.

There was an even larger hangar there, where two large high-wing monoplanes were parked.

Based on general observation data, it should be a Farman F.220 ground-based night bomber.

Workers at the aircraft manufacturing plant are busy installing the metal outer shell of the wings on the plane on the right.

Fang Wen asked, "Which one?"

The Farman executive who led him there pointed to the left: "The left side."

Fang Wen carefully examined the airplane.

Actually, the two aircraft look quite similar.

It gives people a very strange feeling.

Unlike the currently popular aerodynamic curved fuselage, the Farman F.220's external structure is actually geometric and three-dimensional.

Its enormous head made it look like a monster.

Why was it designed this way? Was it to pursue a kind of war aesthetic?

Fang Wen was stunned by this amazing and unique design.

But whether this plane is suitable for you or not, you'll have to fly it to find out.

He looked at the Farman executive beside him and asked, "Can we arrange a test drive training now?"

“No problem.” The executive at Farman waved and called out, “Bori, come here.”

In a corner of the hangar, a pilot who was sitting on a bench reading a comic book got up, walked over, and extended his hand to Fang Wen.

"Hello, I'm Borui, the test pilot for this aircraft, and I'm in charge of your training."

He also speaks English; the people of Farman put a lot of effort into this easy deal.

After shaking hands with Fang Wen, the two began to talk.

After a conversation, the test pilot was surprised.

"You've flown so many planes? The Boeing 247 and P26 are models I'd like to fly. So it seems you should have no problem piloting the Farman F.220."

"I'm not sure about that, after all, they're completely different planes." Fang Wen paused, then asked, "By the way, what's it like piloting this monster plane?"

“A monster plane?” Borui smiled knowingly. “Yes, that’s what I’ve always wanted to call it. It’s so strange. I even suspect that it was designed by an abstract painter.”

“I feel the same way,” Fang Wen said to Bo Rui, their relationship gradually warming up as they entered the plane.

The plane lands with its front higher than its rear, and boarding is done through the boarding door located in the middle of the aircraft.

Once inside, the space is quite large.

It has a bomb loading chamber, a bomb-loading and ammunition-dispensing device, and a machine gun firing chamber.

The reason it has such a large interior space is because the engines aren't inside. It actually has two pods installed on the left and right sides, each containing a pair of engines.

This design amazed Fang Wen.

With the engine mounted externally, isn't it easy for the enemy to shoot it?
Moreover, it was even more noticeable under the left and right wings.

We can only fly as night bombers; flying during the day would just be asking the enemy to rip our backs.

If it's a night bomber, then there's no need for a machine gun position at all; night bombers have no opportunity to fire machine guns.

Fang Wen couldn't help but complain: "I think we can remove the machine gun and use it as a night bomber and transport plane."

Bo Rui turned around and looked back. There was no one behind him. Since it was just the two of them on the plane, he became more frank in his speech.

"I think so too."

Fang Wen patted the side of the cabin. "The engine is mounted outside, so I don't think there's a chance to fire the machine gun."

“Yes. If I had to fly this plane to the battlefield during the day, I absolutely wouldn’t want to.” Bo Rui wholeheartedly agreed.

The two chatted as they entered the cockpit.

The cockpit is at the top, and there is space below it for machine gun firing.

Next, Bo Rui began to explain the functions of various instruments on the aircraft.

Those dashboards were all in French, and the local dialect had to be recorded one by one and matched.

After introducing the basic structure of the aircraft, Borui began his first demonstration flight.

This is a two-seater driving setup, and Fang Wen sat in the passenger seat to experience it.

The aircraft started up under Bo Rui's control and slowly drove out of the hangar.

Fang Wen also entered a state of mechanical perception, learning about the aircraft.

Without mechanical awareness, it is a commanding driving state where the driver is a small individual controlling a huge machine.

In his mechanical perception state, Fang Wen transformed into an airplane.

Although the co-pilot cannot have complete control of the aircraft, he still has a lot of information to know.

In fact, the structure of this aircraft is relatively simple.

But its performance is also genuine.

As the plane took off, Fang Wen, having learned about its capabilities, compared it to planes he had flown before.

The P26 was powered by a 600-horsepower engine. For speed and agility, it had a compact fuselage and a short range.

The Boeing 247 has two 550-horsepower engines, a lower speed than the F.220, and a range of only over 700 kilometers.

It can be said that although the F.220 is a bit ugly, it has fully tapped its potential.

2000 km range, 2400 horsepower, 8-ton payload.

With such performance, no other aircraft besides the B-17 will be able to match it in the next few years.

Therefore, the problems we saw before are no longer problems.

After three days of test flight training, Fang Wen has mastered the essentials of flying the F.220.

When he requested a test flight, test pilot Borre looked incredulous.

But Fang Wen's performance over these three days was unmatched by any other pilot.

Within three days, this remarkable Eastern pilot mastered all the flight parameters and mechanical properties of a heavy engine.

Perhaps it really is possible to pilot an airplane into the sky.

After some hesitation, Borui agreed to Fang Wen's request for a test drive.

The two switched places; Bo Rui sat in the passenger seat, and Fang Wen took the driver's seat.

"Are you sure it's really okay?" Bo Rui asked, still uneasy.

"can."

After Fang Wen finished speaking, he skillfully turned on the instrument switches one by one.

Then turn on the radio and hand the microphone to Bory.

Borui said in French: "F.220 prototype number one, requesting takeoff."

After receiving a confirmation voice over the radio, Fang Wen started the aircraft.

At that moment, he transformed into a seasoned F.220 pilot, using even more skillful maneuvers than Bo Rui to steadily control the aircraft as it drove out of the hangar, accelerating smoothly before taking off into the air.

Throughout the entire process, Bo Rui observed intently and found that Fang Wen made absolutely no mistakes.

It was as if I had already driven the F.220 many times.

This is a large bomber, and the requirements for every operational detail are extremely strict, yet the other side has mastered it completely without any mistakes.

“You.” Bo Rui was speechless, but gave a thumbs up.

Fang Wen's test drive has only just begun.

He controlled the F.220 to climb to an altitude of 6000 meters and began testing high-altitude hovering, ascent, descent, and dive.

Basic flight maneuvers are sufficient for piloting the F.220; as for maneuvers like turning or stalling, forget about using them on this aircraft.

Its function is to carry a large number of bombs for bombing or to temporarily transport a large amount of supplies; nothing else is related to it.

After two days and 10 hours of test driving.

Fang Wen confirmed that the F.220's performance met his requirements.

At this point, Farman's top brass also agreed to the plan.

Immediately after Fang Wen's test drive, he was invited to the headquarters of the Farman company in Paris.

There, Fang Wen, translator Lin Shuiwang, and six other executives from Farman were discussing matters in a conference room.

“After discussion, we have agreed to your request. The F.220 prototype will be sold to you at cost price of 480 million francs,” a Farman executive said.

Translated by Lin Shuiwang.

Fang Wen shook his head.

“Tell them that after two days of test driving, I think 480 million francs is too expensive.”

Lin Shuiwang's translation surprised the other party, and one executive looked angry: "Are you trying to fool us?"

"No," Fang Wen replied, standing up.

"As a pilot, I strongly protest your bizarre design that disregards the safety of pilots in the air. Tell me why you put the engine in such an obvious and dangerous place. I have hundreds of hours of flying and air combat experience, and I can tell you with certainty that in combat, the area below the wing is the most vulnerable area to being hit."

Lin Shuiwang also stood up, adopting an indignant posture, and translated Fang Wen's words into French.

Immediately, their anger dissipated, and they began whispering among themselves.

Then their tone softened.

"We'd like to know, would you still be willing to buy this aircraft?"

It seemed that his words had worked, and Fang Wen softened his attitude accordingly.

"This plane is indeed very dangerous during wartime, but it's not impossible for me to buy it back and use it as a large transport plane to carry large amounts of airmail. The problem is that your price is too high, and I can't convince the higher-ups."

According to Lin Shuiwang's translation, the senior executive was still not giving up.

"480 million francs is not expensive. There is no aircraft on the market that can achieve this level of performance."

Fang Wen nodded: "I know, but that's not how it works. 480 million francs is roughly worth 24.5 US dollars. I can use the same amount of money to buy several brand-new civilian transport planes, which would solve the same transport capacity problem. Since it has no military value, it can't be traded at the original price."

In this negotiation, Fang Wen seized on one point and used the F.220's problems to lower the price.

He felt that the other party wouldn't give up such a windfall, so taking less was acceptable.

This kind of thinking is indeed human nature, and Fang Wen guessed the thoughts of the six executives.

After some discussion, they asked.

How much are you willing to pay?

"A down payment of $10, and you need to transport the plane to the port of Kolkata, where I will pay the remaining $8 after receiving the goods."

Fang Wen stated his price.

Paying in installments ensures the delivery of goods and reduces the initial payment to $10, leaving $20 for two other things.

Fang Wen had also considered shipping the F.220 to the port of Kolkata.

Along the way from Asia to Europe, some airports are not suitable for landing the F.220, and it would be troublesome for such a large military aircraft to transit through sovereign countries; Türkiye and the Pahlavi dynasty would not agree to it.

It would be better to ship directly to Kolkata and make the final journey back home from there.

As for why they weren't shipped directly back to China, it's because Japanese warships controlled the waters of East Asia, making it impossible to transport them.

Now that Fang Wen has made his offer, it remains to be seen whether the people of Falmans will accept it.

The other party started negotiating again.

In the end, he couldn't refuse this windfall.

"we agree."

(End of this chapter)